Malebranche
Huge Outsider (Baatezu, Evil, Extraplanar, Lawful) Hit Dice: 16d8+144 (216 hp) Initiative: +1 Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares), fly 60 ft. (average) Armor Class: 29 (-2 size, +1 Dex, +20 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 28 Base Attack/Grapple: +16/+34 Attack: +2 cold iron trident +26 melee (3d6+12) Full Attack: +2 cold iron trident +26/+21/+16/+11 melee (3d6+12) and gore +19 melee (2d6+5) or 2 claws +24 melee (1d10+10) and bite +19 melee (2d8+5) 2 claws +24 melee (1d10+10) and gore +19 melee (2d6+5) Space/Reach: 15 ft./15 ft. Special Attacks: Fear aura, improved grab, powerful charge, spell-like abilities Special Qualities: Damage reduction 10/good and silver, darkvision 60 ft., immunity to fire and poison, resistance to acid 10 and cold 10 and electricity 10, regeneration 4, see in darkness, spell resistance 27, telepathy 100 ft. Saves: Fort +19, Ref +11, Will +9 Abilities: Str 31, Dex 13, Con 29, Int 10, Wis 8, Cha 12 Skills: Bluff +10, Concentration +28, Diplomacy +5, Intimidate +22, Knowledge (the planes) +5, Listen +18, Search +19, Spot +18, Survival +18 (+20 when following tracks and on other planes), Tumble +20 Feats: Awesome Blow, Cleave, Great Cleave, Flyby Attack, Power Attack, Wingover Environment: Nine Hells of Baator Organization: Solitary, pair, team (2-4), or squad (1 horned devil, 1-2 malebranches, 4-8 erinyes) Challenge Rating: 15 Treasure: Standard coins plus +2 cold iron trident Alignment: Always lawful evil Advancement: 17-32 HD (huge); 33-48 HD (gargantuan) This hulking, winged devil looks stands near 20 feet tall. Its muscle bound body is covered in hard, slate gray scales and a pair of wickedly curved horns just from the sides of its head. Its lower jaw is underslung and summarily juts out from its face, revealing its sharp, curved fangs. In one hand it clutches a huge trident made of a dull metal and with its other hand, it proudly displays its sharp talons. Where the horned devils serve as the elite soldiers in the armies of baator, the hulking malebranches serve as the heavy cavalry. While most of the other greater devils possess a certain tactical cunning, the terrible malebranches are highly simple opponents. While they are certainly not stupid, they are very unimaginative and straightforward. They are also bullies, braggarts, and, when around superior officers or more powerful devils, squalling cowards. Malebranches can be found anywhere in the Nine Hells, however they are most often encountered in Avernus and in the accompaniment of the Dukes and, most notably, the Dark Eight. Caucherate, an infamous malebranche of terrible power and might (33 HD), serves as Lord Bel’s vanguard commander. Whenever Bel leads his troops into battle against the hated demons, Caucherate is always at the front line… well quite ahead of the front line actually. Malebranches stand about 20 feet tall and weigh several tons. COMBAT Malebranches are simple opponents. They usually begin battle with a charge and then they wade into their enemies with their +2 cold iron tridents. When faced with obviously more powerful opponents, a malebranche will do anything to save its skin by lying, betrayal, or with a very untactical retreat. As such, malebranches are very often the first devils in an army to engage a foe and the first devils in an army to retreat. A malebranche’s natural weapons, as well as any weapons it wields, are treated as evil-aligned and lawful-aligned for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. Fear Aura (Su): A malebranche can radiate a 10-foot-radius fear aura as a free action. A creature in the area must succeed on a DC 19 Will save or be affected as though by a fear spell (caster level 12th). A creature that successfully saves cannot be affected again by the same malebranche’s aura for 24 hours. Other devils are immune to the aura. The save DC is Charisma based. Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, the malebranche must hit with a claw attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. Powerful Charge (Ex): A malebranche typically begins a battle with a flying charge at an opponent, lowering its head to bring its mighty horns into play. In addition to the normal benefits and hazards of a charge, this allows the devil to make a single gore attack with a +24 attack bonus that deals 6d6+15 points of damage. Spell-like Abilities: At will – greater teleport (self plus 50 pounds of objects only). Caster level 12th. Regeneration (Su): A malebranche takes normal damage from good-aligned silvered weapons, and from spells or effects with the good descriptor. Category:Baatezu